Medical questions

[Blue bruce]

I have been taking sleep medications such as Ambiance for the past 10 years. When I go to bed I cannot fall asleep, my mind keeps wandering.  Finally when I do fall asleep I usually wake up 5-6 hours later and take another pill.  I have gotten to be intolerant of the sleeping meds.

 

Eight days ago I decided to quit cold turkey and let my body adjust on its own. The first 3 days were very difficult as I was going thru withdrawal.  Now it takes 2 hours to fall asleep then I wake up in 4 hours stay awake for another hour or two before I finally fall asleep again.

 

Has anyone else gone thru this sleep disorder and are there there any other ways to deal with this besides medications. I have tried hypnosis,  listening to music,  warm shower,  nothing seems to help.

[shadowofacloud]

Did you try meditation? It may sound silly, but it is often recommended in cases such as yours.

 

Nothing fancy, just focusing on the breath for 10-20 minutes, maybe counting breaths, if it helps you stay concentrated.

 

Plus, the insomnia most likely is caused by some subliminal buildup. A few sessions of psychotherapy can be beneficial.

[Jedsada3]

When I am in bed, before I sleep I play Solitaire or Sudoku on tablet (15-20 minutes) and I fall asleep 2 minutes after I turn off the tablet.

It avoids me think about my environment, about negative facts which could make me stress.

I don't drink alcoholic beverages nor take any medication and I sleep very well about 6-7 hours/night.

 

Hope it can help you too...

[lopburi3]

Although you do not want to take any medication I find a single Tylenol before bed helps when I have any pains (which for me often seems to be the cause of not being able to turn off mind) and is likely not very additive.  Another thing if unable to sleep for an hour get up and have a bit to eat (I know they say sleep on an empty - but for me it often helps - just a slice of ham or a little cereal).  

[oldcarguy]

Do you need to go to work in the morning ?  I try and have my bag already packed and on the door knob ready to grab , plus  I write stuff down  on a To Do  list so you do not have it running thru your head all night.

 

plus  I use foam earplugs to cut the AC noise

[Panda13]

I had sleeping problems for many years back home and virtually no sleep every night when first arriving in LOS. Tried everything too, until a Thai girl said to me that the bed was on the wrong wall of the room for good sleep.Bed faced East to West, both back home and here. hehe, I know right! Sounds dumb.
Anyway we went to Bali for a month and the Hotel bed was on a South to North configuration. Slept like a baby every night no probs!
Got back to LOS . New hotel and bed faces South to North like in Bali and I sleep anytime of day or night I want. Might not work for everyone but sure glad I finally found my answer to what was becoming a real ordeal. Give it a try maybe, what have you got to lose, except dark circles under the eyes.

[Blue bruce]

Thank you for your replies. There seems to be more underlying issues. Several months ago I was given some meds at the hospital for blood in my urine. These meds caused me to have a reaction, blurry eyes, dizziness,  in ability to concentrate,  moodood swings, shortness of breath ,bloating whenever I eat. The sleep meds on top everything else put my body over the edge making me think I am going to be like this for the rest of my life, causing depression. .

This causes a hopelessness feeling.  Has anyone ever experienced these symom's?  ?.? . Any cures?.?.?.

[Sheryl]

Many people have had this problem and if you do a search in this forum you'll find many past threads.

 

From what you say your problem is two fold:

 

(1) long term use of sleeping pills has habituated you and you have lost touch with the normal process of falling to sleep; there is also some physical rebound to having stopped the meds. This last will improve with time, but you need to "re-learn" how to fall asleep naturally which is a very different process than being knocked out by pills. You have to learn to again detect subtle physical and mental cues and to fall asleep in a more gradual way.

 

(2) likely some underlying anxiety is making it hard for your mind to "let go" and let you sleep. Sleeping pills mask this by overriding it, now without the pills it is evident.  It is a built-in survival mechanism not to be sleepy or fall asleep (or, if asleep, to wake up) if there is a sense of danger.  Dates back to when danger was usually concrete and physical. Nowadays our anxieties seldom involve things that put us in physical danger but our minds and bodies interpret anxiety of any sort as warning of danger.

 

My suggestions:

 

1 - be patient, this change takes time

 

2 - be strict about going to bed at the same time and getting up at the same time

 

3-try Melatonin. It will not  knock you out the way sleeping pills did but will help produce a natural sleepiness, especially helpful if you need to re-adjust your sleep and waking times. . People who complain that melatonin is useless are often saying this because it did not knock them out or produce a buzz, and they are nto yet attuned to what natural sleepiness feels like. Individual reactions vary but I find with melatonin that when the sleepiness comes I have to heed it at once, if I wait too long it wears off. I am able to use it for middle of the night waking up, anytime up to say 3 hours befire i have to get up, but mileage does vary and some people say its effects last too long in them for that.

 

4- meditation will help both as a technique to use when suffering insomnia and also to help with underlying anxiety. It needs to be learned, preferrably with formal instruction in a structured environment. See www.dhamma.org, there are 10 day residential courses offered in many locations in Thailand.

 

5- counselling to get at the underlying anxiety. Your mind is telling you there are important issues to address, identifying them and starting to deal with them will help your mind to allow you to sleep at night.  See http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/90910-mental-health-resource-list/

 

 

[Blue bruce]

Patience is a tough thing. Many OP like myself on this thread are looking for the quick fix. IE, medical help! ! ! Ho to the doctor get meds or give me me an injection of something,  I want to feel better tomorrow   we keep going from 1 DR. to the next looking for the miracle cure. 

Today I took the BIG plunge and called a professional . 

I will keep members posted on the outcome after my 1st apt.

Thank you everyone

[Sheryl]

Glad to hear it. Just taking that step is real progress. Keep us informed of how it goes.

[tutsiwarrior]

+ 1 melatonin

 

melatonin is a naturally produced hormone the production of which declines with age...I could get to sleep OK but then would wake up 3 - 4 hrs later and not get back to sleep...20mg melatonin before bed helped a lot...

 

in my case I also had to set a routine for sleeping and stick to it; no caffeine after 2pm, regular eating habits, shower before bed, all cotton bed linen, etc...nothin worse than forcing yerself to stay awake at work in a meeting when yer dyin' because of only 3 - 4 hrs sleep the night before...probably the worst kinda stress there is...

 

 

[Sheryl]

Yes the caffeine part is very, very important. There is often a vicious cycle of too little sleep ---> caffeine -- > insomnia.

 

I would say as little caffeine as possible and none at all after say an hour or two of getting up. People vary in how sensititvie they are to it, of course, but ideal would be none and failing that, only when you first get up.

[dddave]

Not at all scientific, but I found that tired eyes were my most powerful sleep cue.  I try to turn in at a regular time, then read a book or magazine with small type with only my rather dim bedside lamp for illumination.  Usually, my eyes tire within fifteen minutes or so and I seem to drop off to sleep rather quickly. 

I do often wake-up between three and four AM. Just laying there, tossing and turning, trying to get back to sleep rarely works.  Again, I will pick up a book and read a bit. It usually lulls me back to sleep.

[Blue bruce]

Report information on back on my trip to see 1st a therapist for depression and anxiety   1 hour and thirty minute session with therapist to answer questions about is depression causing me to be I'll or am I I'll because I am depressed. Conclusion start taking antidepressants such as Prozac or Wellbutrin. 

Problem 2 dizziness, bloated,  headache, inability to concentrate. I had a colon massage and a colonic treatment.  The doctor said the combination of taking antidepressants for my mind and taking care of my stomach will help. 

 

I hope so, we'll see Thank you members for your help